


Stuffed Animal

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23827732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex goes to his first sleepover at Jack's house, and doesn't bring the one thing he needs the most.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Stuffed Animal

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request, and set when they were in middle school!

“Alex, I can’t believe that this is your first time sleeping over at someone else’s house!” Jack exclaimed as he led Alex up the stairs, and down the hallway to his bedroom.  
“Same here, I’m glad that my first ever sleepover is with you!” Alex replied with a big smile.  
“Well, I hope that you’re just as excited to go to sleep as I am. Normally, I’d try to convince mom to let us stay up later, but I’m really tired,” Jack said with a yawn.  
“Um, me too. We do need to sleep decently, since we’re going to the mall tomorrow morning!” Alex said back.  
“I’m so glad your mom said yes to dropping us off, and picking us back up, my mom would never. Hey, I’m going to go get ready for bed, I’ll be right back,” Jack said, grabbing some clothes before walking down the hallway to the bathroom.   
Alex quickly changed into his PJs, then sat on Jack’s bed. He started to look through his backpack, then felt anxiety pool in his stomach.   
For as long as he could remember, Alex had always slept with a little stuffed dog. Even though he was thirteen now, he found it nearly impossible to fall asleep without it. It made him feel safe and secure, and he was also used to hugging something when he slept, as a result from his many years of sleeping with his stuffed animal.   
When Alex packed his bag earlier in the day, he decided to not bring his stuffed animal, which he was starting to regret now. The reason he’d decided against it was because while Jack was a really nice guy, he was a new friend, and Alex was afraid that Jack would make fun of him for needing a stuffed animal to sleep, so he left it at home.   
As Alex sat on Jack’s bed, he couldn’t help but feel stupid for being so upset over this. He knew that he was getting older and should just get over needing a stuffed animal to sleep, but he now realized that his first sleepover ever probably wasn’t a great time to try this out. Being away from home was already daunting enough, but not having the one thing that brought him security made everything much more intense.   
As Alex’s mind continued to spiral, the door opened, and Jack walked through it, snapping Alex out of his thoughts.   
“Woah, you were totally zoned out, is everything okay?” Jack asked.  
“Oh yeah, I’m fine, I’m just really tired! I guess I was starting to doze off or something,” Alex replied, nervously laughing.  
“Well, luckily it’s time to get some sleep! So, you can either sleep on the other side of the bed, or on the floor in a sleeping bag. The floor isn’t extremely comfortable, but it’s up to you,” Jack offered.  
“I think I’ll stay up here with you,” Alex decided.  
“Sounds good to me. Go ahead and get yourself comfortable,” Jack instructed, turning off his ceiling light, and turning on a lamp on his bedside table. Alex got under the covers and fixed up the pillows, and Jack did the same for himself before looking over to Alex.  
“Well, I’d say we should stay up and talk, but I think I’ll just turn out the lamp so we can get some sleep, since we’re both pretty tired,” Jack decided, turning out the lamp, then laying down.  
“Great idea, goodnight, Jack,” Alex said, quickly flipping away from Jack.  
“Sleep well, dude,” Jack replied. Alex tried to calm his mind so he could get to sleep, but not having his stuffed animal with him made this impossible.   
He started to look at the wall in front of him, which had a big window on it, which caused quite a few shadows cast themselves across the room. Some of them were eerie shapes, which made Alex even more nervous.   
After taking a deep breath, Alex shut his eyes and tried again to clear his mind of everything that was racing through it. Alex shifted some in the bed and went into the position he usually slept in at home, which just reminded him that he didn’t have his stuffed animal with him. He continued to shift around, trying to find a different position that was both comfortable and didn’t remind him of home so much.   
Eventually, all of Alex’s movements stirred Jack awake from being half asleep, so he turned to Alex and cleared his throat.  
“Hey, are you okay? You’re moving around a lot over there,” Jack said, sounding tired.  
“Oh, um, yeah, I’m just fine, your mattress is just really different from mine, so I have to find a way to get comfortable on it,” Alex lied, hoping that Jack would believe him.  
“Oh okay, well, is there anything I can do to help?” Jack offered.  
“No, I’m just being picky. Sorry for bothering you,” Alex replied, sounding a bit embarrassed.  
“It’s okay, just get comfortable, and get some sleep,” Jack stated, turning back around, and shutting his eyes. Alex turned to face the window again and laid on his side.   
At this point, Alex knew that getting any sleep without his stuffed animal was out of the question, so he was unsure of what to do next. Now that he couldn’t distract himself by moving around, Alex’s mind spiraled further, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how he wished he were at home, in his bed, with his stuffed dog. He would even be okay with some teasing from Jack, if it meant he could have his stuffed animal with him now.   
Eventually, all of the thoughts clouding Alex’s mind overwhelmed him, and he felt tears form in his eyes. He really didn’t want to cry, especially since it was over something so ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop himself.   
Alex did his best to stay silent, but eventually his sniffles caught Jack’s attention, and raised his concerns. Jack quickly turned on the table lamp, then flipped over, to see Alex covering his face with the blanket.  
“Woah, why are you crying, Alex? What’s wrong?” Jack asked, sitting up.  
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m okay, don’t worry about me,” Alex replied, the blanket muffling him.   
“Alex, I can clearly see that something isn’t right here, will you please tell me what’s going on?” Jack tried, pulling back the covers to see Alex frantically wiping away his tears.  
“No, it’s stupid and embarrassing, I’ll be okay, just go to sleep,” Alex replied, still crying.   
“Alex, I’m not going to just go to sleep while you’re freaking out. Come on, sit up and talk to me, you know you can trust me,” Jack continued.   
Alex took a deep breath before letting Jack help him sit up some. Jack scooted closer to Alex and wrapped an arm around his friend, hoping to comfort Alex some.  
“Okay, now, why are you crying, Alex?” Jack asked in a sympathetic voice.  
“Well, I wasn’t going to tell you this because I didn’t want you to make fun of me, but ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always slept with this stuffed dog. I can literally count the amount of times I’ve not slept with him on one hand,” Alex started.  
“Okay, so where is it?” Jack continued.   
“That’s the problem. I left him at home, because I was afraid that you would make fun of me for still needing a stuffed animal to sleep. I thought I’d be okay for one night, but the fact that this is my first sleepover is making not having him so much worse,” Alex explained, still wiping tears from his eyes.  
“Oh shit, Alex, I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have made fun of you, especially since this is your very first sleepover. I wish it weren’t so late, we could’ve asked mom to drive us to your house wo you could get it,” Jack replied.  
“No, I wouldn’t have wanted to inconvenience her like that,” Alex replied.  
“I don’t think she would’ve minded, especially since you can’t sleep now,” Jack stated.  
“Jack, I really don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight, I’m not used to sleeping without hugging something,” Alex confessed in a small voice.  
“I’ve got an idea!” Jack exclaimed, getting up and going over to his closet. After digging through a storage bin, he walked back over to his bed, holding a stuffed cat.  
“I know it won’t be the same as your dog, but this was my favorite stuffed animal when I was a kid, I’ve only just stopped sleeping with it every night. Maybe holding onto this will help you get at least a little sleep tonight,” Jack explained, handing Alex the stuffed cat.  
“It definitely won’t be the same, but I think it’ll really help! Thank you so much, Jack,” Alex replied with a shy smile.  
“No problem, Alex. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have made fun of you for sleeping with a stuffed animal. Next time we have a sleepover, your stuffed dog is more than welcome to join us!” Jack stated with a smile.   
“Thank you, Jack, you’re a great friend,” Alex said, laying back down in the bed.  
“You’re welcome, Alex,” Jack replied, turning the lamp out.  
“Sorry for kind of ruining our first sleepover,” Alex said into the darkness.   
“Hey, you didn’t ruin anything, I promise. I’m glad I could help some,” Jack replied.  
“You definitely have. Sleep well, Jack,” Alex stated, turning to face the wall again.  
“You too, Alex. Remember, I’m here if you need me,” Jack said back. Alex got as comfortable as he could, and tightly hugged the stuffed cat. It wasn’t the same as his dog, but it would help him to fall asleep.   
Alex was glad that this happened with Jack; any of his other friends would’ve made fun of him and left him to deal with his anxieties by himself. While it was a bit embarrassing, this proved to Alex that Jack was a true friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a request for XxBlurryDiamondxX! This is super similar to something I wrote recently, but I did my best to make it different from a previous story! As of today, I'm officially done for the semester, so I have quite a bit more free time, which means I'll have more time to write and post for you guys! That being said, please continue to send in requests, I love writing your ideas! I hope you guys liked this story, and I'll have another up soon! Lots of love, Liv.


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